Headstone Edging Border Device

ABSTRACT

An edging border device for controlling growth of vegetation adjacent an object such as a grave marker is disclosed. The device includes a material sheet that has one or more openings suitable for enabling the material sheet to contact at least a portion of an object present in the opening. The material sheet includes one or more extending portions that extend away from an opening whereby the material sheet enables control of growth of vegetation adjacent the object and beneath the device. The extending sheet may have a decorative surface finish to compliment the appearance of the object present in an opening. An extending portion may be formed of any one or more of permeable materials, impermeable materials or combinations thereof. An extending portion may include one or more agricultural control agents wherein the control agents include one or more of herbicidal agents, fungicidal agents, insecticidal agents and mixtures thereof. Permeable materials may include cellulosic materials such as wood and wood composites. Impermeable materials may be any one or more of rubber, plastic, metal and mixtures thereof.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to devices for controlling growth of ground coverplants surrounding the periphery of objects such as headstones.

BACKGROUND

Markers used at a gravesite are typically made from relatively permanentmaterials. Such markers may be made from durable natural materials suchas granite or marble and sometimes they are made from manufacturedmaterials such as concrete, bronze, or steel. These markers come invaried shapes and sizes. While markers do exist in ornate forms such asangelic statues or in some effigy of the deceased, etc., many markersare of a conventional tablet design, i.e., a flat surface with etchedlettering. This conventional tablet is oriented either horizontally orvertically. Such tablet is commonly referred to as a headstone,gravestone, grave-marker, memorial-stone, memorial-marker, or the like.

Grave-markers are typically set into the earth by excavating a hole inthe ground that generally conforms to the rectangular block shape of thegrave-marker. This is accomplished in much the same manner as aconventional pave-stone is set in place to form a walking path. Thegrave-marker is usually placed in direct contact with the soil.Variations in marker sites, and the difficulty in efficiently excavatingthe hole to ensure a tight fit of the marker therein, can acceleratedamage to the marker. At a number of gravesites, markers that are flushto the ground are commonplace. Their use is on the rise and when limitedresources conflict with a strong interest in maintaining the dignity ofsuch facility, it is important that the memorialization process beefficient without compromising the quality of the site. Unfortunately,vegetation growth surrounding a grave-marker can overgrow the marker andobscure its location. Prevention requires constant, periodic maintenanceto remove unwanted vegetation growth.

Although conventional methods such as use of cutting devices such asstring trimmers have been used to control grown, this is labor intensiveand costly. A need therefore exists for methods and devices for controlof vegetation growth.

SUMMARY

An edging border device for controlling growth of vegetation adjacent anobject such as a grave marker is disclosed. The device includes amaterial sheet that has one or more object openings suitable forenabling the material sheet to contact at least a portion of an objectpresent in the opening. The material sheet includes one or moreextending portions that extend away from an object opening whereby thematerial sheet enables control of growth of vegetation adjacent theobject and beneath the device. The extending sheet may have a decorativesurface finish to compliment the appearance of the object present in anobject opening. The extending portions may have any one or more ofpolygonal shapes, circular shapes, conical shapes or combinationsthereof. The extending portions may have a variable thickness and mayhave a variable stiffness wherein the stiffness near the opening is lessthan the stiffness distal to the opening. An extending portion may beformed of any one or more of permeable materials, impermeable materialsor combinations thereof. An extending portion may include one or moreagricultural control agents wherein the control agents include one ormore of herbicidal agents, fungicidal agents, insecticidal agents andmixtures thereof. Permeable materials may include cellulosic materialssuch as wood and wood composites. Impermeable materials may be any oneor more of rubber, plastic, metal and mixtures thereof.

The border device advantageously enables control of vegetation in anarea surrounding an object such as a grave marker.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a border device in the form of arectangle includes an object opening;

FIG. 1A shows a grave marker that by be fitted into an object opening inthe border device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 1B shows a border device 1 in the form of a regular polygon havingthree sides and an object opening.

FIG. 1C shows a border device 1 configured to include a conical shapesuch as parabolic;

FIG. 2 shows a border device where the extending sections extend bothlaterally and upwardly and which has a variable thickness.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a border device configured in the form of anorthodox cross.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, border device 1 is shown as having an objectopening 5 configured to surround the periphery of an object 100 such asa grave marker headstone as shown in FIG. 1A. Although object 100 isshown in the form of a rectangle, it is to be understood that object 100may have any desired configuration.

Border device 1 includes one or more extending portions 25 that extendfrom opening 5. Border device 1 may be configured as any desired formhaving any of circular, conical and polygonal shapes, and combinationsthereof. Conical shapes may include but are not limited to ellipsoidal,hemispheric and parabolic and combinations thereof. Other shapes inborder device 1 may be configured include but are not limited tocircles, ovals, crosses such as orthodox crosses as shown in FIG. 3,stars, clovers and combinations thereof.

Polygonal shapes may have N sides where N may be any number, such as 3to 30, such as 3 so as to have a shape in the form of any one or more ofsquares, octagons, pentagons, rectangles, triangles, hexagons, andheptagons, and triangles such as shown in FIG. 1B. Polygonal shapes maybe regular and irregular where one or more sides of the polygon differin size. An example of regular polygon having four sides is a square andan example of irregular polygon have four sides is a rectangle.

An extending portion 25 may extend uniformly or randomly in alldirections from opening 5. An extending portion 25 may include one ormore receiving holes 30 therein to receive fasteners such as nails,screws and the like (nor shown) to secure border device 1 at a desiredposition. Holes 30 also may be used to receive decorative artificial ornatural plantings.

An extending portion 25 may extend at any desired angle to thehorizontal from opening 5. For example, an extending portion 25 mayextend laterally and/or upwardly from opening 5 and may have a variablethickness as shown in FIG. 2. Typically, extending portion 25 may have athickness of about 0.5 inches to about 0.75 inches. Extending portions25 also may have a variable stiffness throughout any selected section ofextending portion 25. Stiffness near opening 110 may be less than thestiffness distal to the opening within a given section of extendingportion 25. Variable stiffness may be achieved by varying thecomposition within one or more selected sections of an extending portion25, by varying the extent of compaction within a selected section, orcombinations thereof. Compositions that have higher amounts of highmodulus materials such as glass, metal and the like may be used toprovide higher stiffness and use of higher pressures to compact thecompositions may be used to achieve higher stiffness.

Object opening 5 may have any desired configuration according to theperiphery of the object to be contacted by border device 1.

Border device 1 may be made from a wide variety of impermeablematerials, permeable materials and combinations thereof. The borderdevice may include on the bottom surface thereof one or more layers ofweed fabric. Weed fabrics such as Sunbelt Weed Fabric from Grow Organicmay be employed.

The materials employed in manufacture of border device 1 may be blendedwith agricultural control agents such as but not limited to herbicidalagents, fungicidal agents, insecticidal agents and mixtures thereof.Examples of herbicidal agents that may be employed include but are notlimited to pre-emergent herbicides such as corn gluten meal,glyphosate-containing herbicides such as Aquaneat and dichlobenilcontaining herbicides such as Casoron 4G from Synatek. Other herbicidesthat may be employed include but are not limited to Eject 75WDG andEscalade 2 available from Synatek. Examples of fungicidal agents thatmay be employed include but are not limited to sulphur, garlic, mixturesof copper sulfate and lime, as well as any commercially availablefungicide. Examples of insecticidal agents that may be employed includebut are not limited to calcium arsenate, copper acetoarsenate, copperarsenate, potassium arsenate, sodium arsenate and mixtures thereof.Also, any commercially available insecticide may be used.

The agricultural control agents may be present in the materialcompositions used in manufacture of the border member in a wide range ofamounts. Typically, these amounts are about 0.1% to about 20% by weightbased on the weight of the material used in manufacture of the borderdevice. Permeable materials that may be employed include but are notlimited to cellulosic materials, sand and mixtures thereof. Impermeablematerials that may be employed include but are not limited to rubber,plastics, metals and mixtures thereof. Where the materials arepermeable, pore sizes sufficient to enable penetration of fluids such asherbicidal agents into a desired depth in the border member. Pore sizesmay vary from about 0.1 micron to about 100 micron.

The presence of herbicidal agents within the interior of the borderdevice may provide an additional level of protection against unwantedplant growth around or over the border device while enabling desirableplantings such as flowering plants to grow through the border device. Inthis way, the border device may simultaneously prevent unwanted weedgrowth while permitting desirable flowering plants to grow therethrough. Similarly, fungicidal and insecticidal agents present withinpermeable materials employed in manufacture of border device 1 mayprevent growth of undesirable fungal growth as well as undesirableinsect infestations.

The materials used in border device 1 also may include antioxidants andlight stabilizers. Antioxidants and light stabilizers that may beemployed include, but are not limited to, 4,4-diarylbutadienes, cinnamicesters, benzotriazoles, hydroxybenzophenones, diphenylcyanoacrylates,oxamides (oxalamides), 2-phenyl-1,3,5-triazines; sterically hinderedamines, phosphites and phosphonites, hydroxylamines, nitrones, amineoxides, benzofuranones and indolinones, thiosynergists, peroxidescavengers, and basic costabilizers.

Materials used in border device 1 may be scored on at least one surfacethereof to facilitate cutting and trimming of the device along the scorelines. The score lines may be in any desired configuration and in anydesired location.

Border devices as described herein may be made by compression molding ofany of permeable materials, impermeable materials and mixtures thereof,with or without agricultural control chemicals. The materials may becompressed under pressures sufficient to produce a border device havinga desired porosity. Typically, these pressures are about 500 PSI toabout 5000 PSI. Typically, the border device has a porosity of less thanabout 5% such as where the border device is be employed to minimize orprevent growth of plant life through the thickness of the border device.Where the border device is intended to permit selected plant growththrough the thickness of the border device, the porosity of the borderdevice may be up to about 10%.

Border device 1 may be employed with a wide variety of objects such asheadstones that have a wide variety of shapes and sizes. In use, borderdevice 1, such as in the configuration of a triangle as shown in FIG.1B, is placed over an object such as a object 100 that has a shapecorresponding to that of object opening 5 so that the edges of objectopening 5 abut the surfaces of object 100 and closely conforms to theground surfaces surrounding object 100. Border device 1 thereby maycontrol vegetation from growing around or over object 100.

1. An edging border device for controlling growth of vegetation adjacentan object, the device comprising, a material sheet having an openingsuitable for enabling the material sheet to contact at least a portionof an object present in the opening and having extending portions thatextend away from the opening whereby the material sheet enables controlof growth of vegetation beneath the device, and wherein the extendingportions have any one or more of polygonal shapes, in circular shapes,conical shapes or combinations thereof.
 2. The device of claim 1 whereinthe object is a grave marker.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein theextending portions have a variable thickness.
 4. The device of claim 1wherein the extending portions have a stiffness near the opening that isless than the stiffness distal to the opening.
 5. The device of claim 4wherein the extending portions have one or more holes for receiving afastener therein.
 6. The device of claim 5 further comprising a weedfabric.
 7. The device of claim 6 wherein an extending portion includesany one or more of permeable materials, impermeable materials orcombinations thereof.
 8. The device of claim 7 wherein the extendingportion further comprises one or more agricultural control agentswherein the control agents include one or more of herbicidal agents,fungicidal agents, insecticidal agents and mixtures thereof.
 9. Thedevice of claim 8 wherein the herbicidal agent is a pre-emergentherbicide.
 10. The device of claim 7 wherein the permeable materialcomprises cellulosic material.
 11. The device of claim 10 wherein theimpermeable material is any one or more of rubber, plastic, metal andmixtures thereof.
 12. The device of claim 8 further comprising anantioxidant.
 13. The device of claim 1 wherein the extending portionshave a porosity of less than about 5%.